Citracel

My problem is i usually go to the bathroom every day...then out of nowhere i get where i cannot pass my bowels..and i sit on the toilet for 2 hrs, pushing and being in brutal pain, i get cold sweats and shake, feel like i am going to pass out, terrible pain in my legs and back from sitting so long, then when i finally pass some stool, it becomes the big D and i go for at least 2 hrs...with pain...so by the time it is all over, i am sooo exhausted and ache all over and can barely walk as my legs and back hurt so bad..It ruins my whole day..and this is how it has been my whole life, i am 63...so what will Citracel do for me?

Did you see where i said i am 63 and had this my whole life? I have had every test known to man...LOL..every time i get a test, it is the same thing, IBS.. My question was, should i maybe take Citracel? My doc suggested it so i was wondering if anyone else had what i have and takes Citracel...

Citracel is a fiber and as g20man said you should add it slowly to your diet.

It use to be they told everyone to take fiber, but for some it can make things more uncomfortable, but for others it may help. They have slightly changed their position on taking fiber. Of course its essential to get fiber in your diet.

But go slowly and build it up to the dose over time. For some it can actually take up to 8 weeks to get use to it, but for others it can help pretty quickly to regulate going.

There are a lot of good options to try for IBS and for what your symptoms are that can possibly help. I alternate as well although lean towards d, but the pain I get can be extremely severe. I have fouund things that have helped me greatly, especially the pain and bloating and to a large degree my stoll patterns, but it was something you would normally think of to use.

mustangluver

Out of curiosity, how ong did you do biofeedback for?

Also, what "tranquility tapes" did you try?

The Citracel is worth a try.

also don't give up there are always options.

There are very specific clinical hypnotherapy tapes for IBS. Have you heard about these.

http://ibsaudioprogram.com/

Hypnotherapy is one of the most effective researched treatments for IBS and very safe and natural.

So you know these aren't just realxation tapes. They are very specific and that is very important. They helped me tremendously. I have been involved with Mike for about 10 years now. He has helped 1000's of people.

I have a lot of information on all this, including the research studies from expert IBS researchers.

These maybe worth looking at as well.

http://www.aboutibs.org/site/about-ibs/management/hypnosis

http://ibshypnosis.com/

The above are expert sites and researchers on IBS.

Biofeedback is used more for other reasons then alternating d and c.

Another promising treatment is specific Cognitive behavioral therapy for IBS.

while someone would wonder why do these for a bowel condition, they can work extremely well. The Hypnotherapy can work on all the symptoms and especially the pain. As well as help stress and anxiety as a side effect. But it can help bloating and even other none gi symptoms.

The above lists the twenty most common non gi symptoms in IBS as well, worth reading.

My IBS is pretty similar to yours.

One time shot for the CD's for $89.00 USD. But HT has shown to be one of the most effective treatments for most IBSers.

http://www.aboutibs.org/site/about-ibs/management/hypnosis

mustangluver

I understand. I will see what I can do here.

Somethings though in the long run are more cost effective. Like the money spent on the Citracel over the long run, when the cd's might be a lot more effective. But I will see if I can help somehow.

Let me just put in my 2 cents worth....I've had constipation my whole life, worstening in the past few years. I'm 55, had my gall bladder out 4 years ago. I thought going gluten-free might help, but it made my constipation way worse! (??)

So, being very uncomfortable and desperate, I started looking here and I came across "Heather - somebody's IBS diet." Not being one to pursue details, I just absorbed the main point, which is: eat more SOLUBLE fiber than anything else, with everything else. EVERY TIME you eat anything else. I have been doing that, (lots of potatoes, white bread, ricecakes) plus taking Citrucel and Miralax (which I was already doing) and my bowel movements are much better! I used to poop mostly little pellets, not anymore. Also just had a colonoscopy and it was normal.

The irony is that for my entire adult life, I've been the health-food nut: vegetarian, only whole-wheat bread, lots of fruits, veggies, granola. Now I think I was overdoing the insoluble fiber. Go figure. Anyway, the link that I found must still be in here somewhere. It might be worth a try. Good luck.

Debbie

I'll be 41 years old in november and I've been having very similar symptoms to yours for about 18 years. In fact, my symptoms can be much worse. I'm always constipated and cannot go without laxatives. Sometimes I'll have pains and try to go, but then I start to feel nauseous and faint, start vomiting, and start to sweat profusely. Once I pass some solid stool the rest will come out loose. There have been times when I've had to lay on the bathroom floor because I felt so faint while sitting on the toilet. Sometimes I would wind up in the bath tub with vomiting and diarrhea at the same time. I would lay in the bath tub because I could barely keep conscious and didn't want to make a mess on the floor. My doctor told me the fainting is probably a vaso vagal attack. Sometimes extreme pain can stimulate the vagus nerve and make you faint. It tends to happen if I'm not very vigilant in keeping my bowels moving. I can't even let a week go by without going to the bathroom or I run the risk of such attacks.

After years of going through this, I've finally seen another doctor that did a Sitz Mark study. That is a study where you swallow a capsule filled with little rings that show up on X-rays. I took the capsule on a saturday and went on a monday for my first X-ray. Then my next two X-rays were done on wednesday and friday. The test will see how quickly the rings move through your intestines. I was not allowed to take any laxatives before or durting the test. They want to see how your bowel functions without any help from laxatives. My doctor said my large bowel isn't hardly working at all, he said I have severe colonic inertia. I subsequently went for pelvic floor studies and was told that was fine.

Anyway, I now need to have a colectomy, the removal of my entire large bowel. My doctor said the only thing is I will be going to the bathroom about 5-6 times a day for quite a few months after the operation. Then it usually slows down to about 3-4 movements a day. I will find out more particulars this wednesday about any other possible tests I'll need and when the operation will be. I'm very nervous about the surgery, but I don't want to live anymore with the possibility of those horrible attacks happening.

By the way, I won't need a colostomy bag because the surgeon will connect the small bowel directly to the rectum, so I'm happy about that.

I just want to get this over with and try to live a normal life.

Sorry to hijack your thread, I guess my nerves just made me want to ramble on.

God bless.

                                                               G20man

 

Yes, I understand about the barium enemas, drinking barium, colonoscopies, endoscopies, etc., etc. It's a horrible process to go through, and it's made worse when the doctors just send you home with medicine that doesn't work, or tell you to take fiber. I know this operation is a big step with risks of its own, but I need to try something, I'm tired of feeling like crap....literally and figuratively .

God bless.

                                         G20man

mustangluver
A lot of people know what your going through as those are common IBS issues.

Just fyi, but doctors won't do a colectomy for IBS, but for other problems.

Incomplete evacuation is also a common symptom in IBS.

They usally do a sitz marker test on people with constipation to see what the real problem is with the bowel. There are three different kinds of constipation.

http://www.aboutconstipation.org/

But if you have IBS you can alternated between the two d and c.

That's the first time i heard about laying on the bathroom floor and in the tub...that is severe pain like i have...the links you left ate dead links...but thanx...i have been online since 94 and have read everything there is to read about gastro problems..

Have you gotten the shaking and cold sweats and the pins and needles in the legs and arms? When the attack is over, do have severe pain in your legs? Yes, i too had on occasion wished i were dead.. I also had severe menstrual pain on top of the IBS...can you imagine that? Plus a migraine on top of that...I was soooooooooooo miserable...I had a hyster when i was 52 and so that ended that problem..I don't know how i lived my life...but lately i have gotten very depressed over it and have less tolerance, i guess because of my age. Have you ever had where you feel like food didn't go down past your gut, like it is stuck in the middle and it feels like a heart attack? I guess it is heartburn...as i have no gallbladder...thanx so much for sharing..